The Knee

Jumper’s Knee

Jumper’s knee is characterized by pain in the knee cap (the patella). The pain is usually localized at the bottom of the knee cap and sometimes at the top. Pain from a jumper’s knee will especially be felt during quick, vigorous and energetic sports activities. See Patellar Tendinopathy below.

• Read more about Jumper’s Knee

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome is a designation of a medical conditios that causes pain at the front of the knee.

The knee’s complex structure is very sensitive and a lot of different factors can contribute to the pain syndrome, among them

• the knee cap is dislocated in proportion to the rest of the knee’s structures

• overload / overuse / too extensive training

• tight, imbalanced or weak thigh muscles

• fallen foot arches

• different kinds of injuries

The symptoms of the Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome is a dull, gnawing pain under and around the front part of the patella (knee cap) where the knee cap is connected to the lower part of the thighbone (the femur).

Typically it will be very painful to

• run downhill or walk stairs

• kneel

• jump

• be seated in a position with the knees bent for a long period of time

Runner’s Knee

The term Runner’s Knee originates from the experience that long distance runners often develop this particular condition. Excessive running highly strain the structures at the lateral side of the knee and thigh resulting in irritation of the iliotibal band (Tractus iliotibialis) where this ligament slips back and forth over the lateral side of the knee (Lateral femoral condyle). The bursa between the tractus tendon and the bone can be inflamed due to mechanical irritation.

The Runner’s Knee symptoms are mainly functional pain (walking / running) on the lateral femoral condyle, but also local pain when touched or palpated. Sometimes the patient experiences crepitation when the area is moved or touched.

Local Cortisone injections often have a very good effect, especially when the bursa is inflamed. Radial Shockwave Therapy is a fairly new and very effective therapeutic alternative.

A guided stretching exercise programme will have both a therapeutic and preventive effect.

Osgood Schlatter’s Disease / Morbus Schlatter’s

The Osgood Schlatter’s Disease occurs only with older children and young adults. It is an expression of overload on the tendon between the knee cap and the lower leg. The main pain is localized at either end of the tendon usually towards the respective growth zones in the bones. The growth process can be disturbed when a patient has Osgood Schlatter’s Disease. Playing volleyball, basketball and soccer may contribute to irritating the knee cap.

Arthrosis in the Knee / Gonartosis

Arthrosis in the knee with incipient or advanced wear and tear of the joint’s cartilage is together with arthrosis of the hip the two most widespread variants of degenerative joints diseases thus affecting the body’s two largest joints. The symptoms are first of all pain when the knee is strained followed by pain occurring also during complete rest. Overload is a reason (overweight / a standing work situation) but acute injuries like fractures of bones in the knee can also initiate the degenerative process. Sports activities often strain the knees. For some people that is the set off of an arthrotic condition.

Patellar Tendinopathy

The diagnosis Patellar Tendinopathy is a common one within sports, especially with volleyball players, soccer players and ski jumpers. The symptoms are graded on a scale from 1 – 4. They may turn up after one singe overload dose or make its first appearance gradually. The exact reason for the condition is not known. There are but few indications of any inflammation. In stead one would normally observe degenerative changes in the junction between the tendon and the bone. In everyday life Patellar Tendinopathy is experienced as giving pain through normal climbing of stairs, driving a car, sitting still over a long period of time etc.